Merl brings together wine-growing, historic architecture and routes into the higher elevations. The variety of themes is particularly useful when choosing your destination: the Pissamann circular hiking trail Zell-Merl leads through vineyards and forests up to 410 m, while the Pissamann Wine Trail in the Merl district uses 15 information boards to cover work in the vineyard and different grape varieties. The village also has the history of the former Franciscan monastery and its wine-growing traditions. This makes it easy to choose Merl based on its landscapes, culture or wine.
Wine-Growing and Landscape
The circular hiking trail offers views across the Zellerland and the heights of the HunsrĂĽck and Eifel. The wine trail has a different focus: its 15 information boards provide details about vineyard work and grape varieties. This offers two distinct ways to explore the subject of wine: taking in the landscape along the circular trail, or learning about wine-growing on the wine trail.
Merl’s location also gives it a distinctive landscape: the village lies at the entrance to the Merler Bachtal, which extends far up into the Hunsrück. If you are looking for a connection to the higher elevations as well as culture and wine, the circular trail through vineyards and forests offers a practical starting point.
Monastic History and Historic Buildings
The parish church of St. Michael in Zell-Merl once belonged to a Franciscan monastery, probably built towards the end of the 13th century. In the former monastery, four wood samples date the roof structure of the Merl dormitory to 1293/94. The approximate period of the monastery’s construction and the dating of the roof structure provide two different chronological reference points for the village’s history.
The church is home to a notable carved Antwerp altarpiece dating from around 1520. Historic buildings on Zandtstraße include preserved houses and medieval residential towers belonging to noble families of old. These include the residential tower at Zandtstraße 70, dated to 1328 and probably owned by the squire Friedrich Mohr vom Wald. The well-preserved Zandthof was the family seat and castle of the von Zandt family. A Romanesque choir tower rises above the Merl cemetery; it is a remnant of the village’s old parish church.
Wine Traditions and Tastings
According to tradition, the so-called “Merl Riesling” is associated with the cultivation of the Riesling grape in Merl in the 17th century and its spread from there to the Moselle and Rhine. The Merl wine festival also has a firmly established place in the district’s annual calendar and has long been considered a highlight. If you would like to include the festival in your travel plans, check the latest event dates.
At the Ernst Steffens winery in Zell-Merl, wine tastings are also available in English. The focus is on Riesling wines from traditional steep-slope vineyards, as well as different vintages of the Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Bacchus, Pinot Gris and Dornfelder grape varieties. The experience includes a behind-the-scenes look or a tour of the vaulted wine cellar; a film also presents the work carried out over the course of the winegrower’s year. Tastings take place on Tuesdays or by arrangement, so plan yours for a Tuesday or enquire.
Plan Your Visit
The church tower in Zell-Merl can only be viewed from the outside, so plan your visit accordingly and check accessibility beforehand. Bus route 750 is available for travel from Bullay to the parish church of St. Michael in Zell-Merl. Check the current timetable before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Liesenich, Peterswald-Löffelscheid, Reidenhausen, Altlay, Haserich, Alf, Sankt Aldegund, Pünderich
See the main travel overview: Zell.
